Axl 2012

I used to have an Axl Rose problem. WHAT? I know. I KNOW. Don’t you think I know?

He’s a crazy megalomaniac motherf-cker but back then, for those of you who can remember what he used to look like, he was rock hot, ok? And November Rain is a great ballad. And we didn’t have the internet and I only found out later that he chokes women. And he was a classic band frontman - super charismatic and toxic at the same time. How can a teenager resist that? Teenagers do dumb sh-t. We have established this.

Axl and Guns n’ Roses self-destructed spectacularly fast. But Appetite For Destruction is still the biggest selling debut album of all time. In music, he’s not a nobody. Particularly now that he’s been recluse for so long, he’s definitely not a nobody. He’s a mystery. (Did you read John Jeremiah Sullivan’s excellent article about Axl a few years ago in GQ? Click here. It’s included in Sullivan’s book of essays Pulphead which, if you haven’t, you should add that to your reading list RIGHT NOW.)

Axl and the new cobbled together Guns n’ Roses, because somehow he bullied Slash and the others to sign over the rights to the name to him back then, have taken over at the Hard Rock in Vegas for a 12 show residency. Last night was their first performance. I almost can’t believe he used to look like this, which, to clarify, in case you haven’t grasped the magnitude of my shame, I was really into.

Axl was on Kimmel a couple of weeks ago. Click here for Part 1. Good GOD. Axl is your skeevy uncle now.

It’s November 1st.

And also, in some parts of the world, there’s been too much rain.

Never mind the darkness
We still can find a way
Nothing lasts forever
Even cold November rain